Rudolph m



(No Model.)

R. M. HUNTER.

4 ELECTRIC RAILWAY No. 413,604. Patented 001:. 22, 1889.

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PATENT OFFICE.

RUDOLPH HUNTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE'ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE THOMSON-HOUSTON ELECTRIC COMPANY,

OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRIC. RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 413,604, dated October 22, 1889.

, p a i Original application filed January 14, 1889, Serial No. 296,292. Divided and this application filed July 13, 1889- Serial No.

317,393. (No model.)

rial No. 296,292,.and shows matter set out in my application, Serial No. 204,583, filed June 9,1886.

My invention relates particularly to the road-bed structure andthe collectors on the car, which work in connection with the confluit and conductors.

Considered generally, my invention consists in locating the conduit, in which is housed one or more electric conductors, outside of the track and preferably close to one of the rails. The current-collector is carried by the car upon the outside of the wheel-base, so as to depend into the conduit and make connection with the conductor. The collector is preferably supported from the axle box or boxes directly or indirectly, or may be supported bya frame supported from the axles independently of the car-body, which latter rests upon springs. cated at the highest part of the street or in the space between the tracks, and thus avoid the excessive quantities of surface water, Which usually run in the road between the rails of the track. The conduit maybe formed in any suitable manner, either as part of the road-bed structure or as a separate conduit secured in fixed relation with the rail to which it is' adjacent.

p In the drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-section of a railway and car embodying my improvements; Fig. 2 is a side' elevation of same, with the conduit cutaway; and Fig. 3 is a cross-section of a road-bed and truck of a modified form of my invention.

In practice the conduit could be 10- y D is the car or vehicle or truck, and has the axles F provided with wheels fiwhich axles are received in axle-boxes F in the usual way. The car-frame D rests upon said boxes F through the mediation of springs.

H is the electric motor, and is supported upon a frame G, carried by the axles,in any suitable manner.

U are the rails of the road-bed, and are supported upon cross tiesor frames C.

A is a conduit arranged upon the outside of the track-rails, and preferably close to the outer edge of the rail. In Fig. 1 this conduit is formed in conjunction with the rail by arranging a longitudinal stringer V upon the cross-ties C outside of the rails and placing a plate or slot-iron K upon its upper edge, so as to form a slot is between said plate and rail U. Within the conduit are the two conductors B B, one of which is-for positive current and the other for negative current received from the generator I).

L L are two collectors, depending from the axle-boxes F and adapted to have lateral movement by being loosely guided by pins Z in the bottom of the axle-boxes. Springs Z are employed to. cause the collector to run close to the edge of the plate or slot-iron K; but such springs may bedispensed with, if

desired. It is evident that by making the guides of loose fit the collector would have M provision for slight rotary motion on a vertical axis. These collectors are provided with contacts a, which run in contact with the conductors B and supply current to the motorH by the motor-circuit N, which is provided with a suitable regulator M. The motor may 8 5 be mechanically connected with the axles in any suitable and well-known manner.

As shown in Fig. 2, there are two collectors one under each axle-box-and while one is designed to collect current of one polarity and the other to collect current of the other polarity, yet it is evident that each collector may collect current from both conductors B by the addition of the second contacts indi cated in dotted lines. The collectors are ar- 5 ranged in a vertical line through the axle and wheel,and thus are not shifted when the vehicle is turning corners. The provision for lateral movement is to compensate for irregularities in the line of the slot.

In the modified form of my invention shown in Fig. 3 I have the usual road-bed structure of a street-railway wit h the conduit A formed separate and secured to the crossties O. B B are the conductors, as before, and are insulated from the sides of the conduit, which is shown as of metal. K K are. the top plates or overhanging ledges of the conduit and form the slot. This conduit may be constructed in any desirable manner, and for rigidity should be secured to the rail U by ties T, arrangedat intervals. In this'figure the collector L is shown as pivoted on a vertical axis at g to a laterally-movable frame G, supported by the frame G on the axles. By this means the collector may be arranged between the axles. The provision for selfadjustment in this case is practically no greater than that shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

I do not limit myself to the details of construction,as the various parts or devices may be modified in various ways without departof a stationary source of electric supply, bared working-conductors extending along the path ing from the spirit of my invention.

Any matters set out in this application but not claimed are not dedicated to the public, but form subj cot-matter of my applications hereinbefore referred to and my application, Serial No. 293,665, of December 15, 1888.

Having now described myinvention, whatI claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an electric railway, the combination of a traveling vehicle, a stationary source of electric supply, a bared workingconductor extending along the path of the vehicle, and a current-collector device of less width than the diameter of the wheel and supported immediately outside of the wheel of the vehicle and upon the axle-box.

2. In an electric railway, the combination ofa stationary source of electric supply, bared working-conductors extending along the path of the vehicle, an electrically-propelled vehicle, and depending collectors to receive electricity from said bared conductors supported by the axle-box of the vehicle, and suitable guides for said collectors to admit of lateral motion, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

- 3. In an electric railway, the combination of astationarysource of electric supply, bared working-conductors extending along the path of the vehicle running upon said railway, an electrically-propelled vehicle, and two independent depending collectors to receive electricity from said bared conductors supported in line of travel of the vehicle, and each carried by a diiferent axle-box and arranged substantially in a vertical plane through the respective axles.

4. In an electric railway, the combination of the ,vehicle running upon said railway, an electrically-propelled vehicle, two independent depending and laterally-movable collectors to receive electricity from said bared conductors supported in line of travel of the vehicle, and each carried by a different axlebox and arranged substantially in a vertical plane through the respective axles.

5. The combination of the track-rails of a railway with an electric slotted conduit arranged upon the outside of the track and close to or adjacent to one rail thereof, and positive and negative bared conductors contained within said conduit and consisting of longitudinal bars, having vertical or substantially vertical faces exposed to a vertical plane extending through the slot, a traveling vehicle, and laterally-movable current-collecting device arranged outside. of the wheel-base of the vehicle and depending into the conduit for making connection with the conductors.

6. The combination of the track-rails of a railway with an electric conduit arranged upon the outside of the track and close to or adjacent to one rail thereof, an insulated working conductor contained within said conduit, a traveling vehicle, and a laterallymovable current-collecting device arranged outside of the wheelbase of said vehicle and depending into the conduit for making connection with the working-conductors.

7. The combination of the track-rails of a railway with an electric conduit arranged upon the outside of the track and close to or adjacent to one rail thereof, aninsulated Working-conductor contained within said conduit, a traveling vehicle, and a currentcollecting device arranged outside of the wheel-base of said vehicle in line with the wheel-axle and depending into the conduit for making connections with the workingconducton 8. The combination of the track-rails of a railway with an electric conduit arranged upon the outside of the track and close to or adjacent to one rail thereof,- and positive and negative insulated working-conductor contained within said conduit, a traveling vehicle, and two narrow independent currentcollectors carried thereby and arranged upon the outside of the wheel-base one in advance of the other and depending into the conduit for making connection with the working-conductors.

9. The combination of the track-rails of a railway with an electric conduit arranged upon the outside of the track and close to or adjacent to one rail thereof, and positive and negative insulated working-conductors contained within said conduit, a traveling vehicle, and two independently adjustable or movable current-collectors carried thereby. and arranged upon the outside of the wheelbase one in advance of the other and depending into the conduit for making connection with the working-conductors.

10. The combination of the track-rails of a railway with an electric conduit arranged upon the outsideof the track and close to or adjacent to one rail thereof, and positive and negative insulated working-conductors contained within said conduit, a traveling 'vehicle having a car-body supported on springs, and two currentrcollectors carried thereby independently of the car-body and arranged upon the outside of the wheel-base one in advance of the other and depending into the conduit for making connection with the working-conductors.

11. The combination of a railway-track with a slotted conduit arranged upon the outside thereof .and a bared' conductorcontained within said conduit and exposing its contact-surface from the side, a traveling vehicle, and o a depending" currentecollecting device adapted to make contact with the conductor and carried by the vehicle with provision for lateral movement.

12. The combinationof a railway, a slotted conduit arranged outside of the track, a bared working-conductor supported Within said conductor vand insulated therefrom, and tie-rods connecting the upper part of the conduit to the track, whereby it is maintained in relative fixed position with respect to the rail.

In testimony of which invention 1 have hereunto set my hand.

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER. Witness'esz I ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER, S. T. YERKES. 

